


Soaring Together

by zubeneschamali



Series: Dragon!Jared [2]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon!Jared, Dragons, M/M, no-longer-a-virgin!Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 07:47:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17545604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/pseuds/zubeneschamali
Summary: This may be a week late, but it was written in honor of National Appreciate a Dragon Day on January 16. Because Jensen really appreciates dragon!Jared, and because I still love this 'verse so much.





	Soaring Together

**Author's Note:**

> This may be a week late, but it was written in honor of National Appreciate a Dragon Day on January 16. Because Jensen really appreciates dragon!Jared, and because I still love this 'verse so much.

The first time Jensen climbs on Jared's back, he's petrified.

Jared's taken him flying before, of course, but cupped so carefully in his large, clawed hands that Jensen has barely been able to see a thing between his fingers. He understands why Jared is so careful with him. It's not only because he would be cautious with any human trusting their life to him, much less the one he's engaged to. It's also because both of them remember all too well Hezron, the evil dragon who had held Jensen prisoner and then thrown him from the top of a mountain for Jared to catch.

But the evil dragon is gone, and peace has settled over Jensen's little valley. He's more in love with Jared than he thought he could be with anyone, and he knows the feeling is mutual. 

That's what led Jensen to badger Jared about flying with him for real. Jared had protested, insisting that it wasn't safe for Jensen and that he was much better off in Jared's hands. Jensen had countered that he knew it was awkward for Jared to fly with his hands cupped in front of him, and if they ever wanted to travel outside the immediate valley, like maybe to Jared's home, they would have to do something different.

Jared had huffed at that, a trickle of smoke coming out of his nostrils even in his human form. He'd momentarily looked alarmed, but Jensen had practically giggled at the sight. Jared had been so relieved at Jensen's acceptance of him that he'd agreed to try the kind of flying Jensen was asking for.

It's a few days later when Jared's dragon crouches on the floor of the valley, as low to the ground as he can go. Jensen clambers up the back of his scaled hand, then his arm, then up to his shoulder. "Can you feel me walking on you?" he asks as he goes.

Jared replies in his mind, _As you would feel a fly walking on your skin._

Jensen twitches his nose and tries to walk with a heavier tread so it's less irritating. "Sorry."

He feels faint amusement in response, followed by appreciation for Jensen's concern.

When he reaches Jared's back, he climbs over the edge of his shoulder blade above where it starts to fan out into a wing. There's enough space between Jared's shoulders that even with his arms extended to their widest, Jensen can't touch them both at once. In front of him, Jared's neck stretches out, now moving as he begins to raise his head. 

Behind him…there's not much. That is to say, there's the long, wide expanse of Jared's back, stretching what would be the length of the main street down their village. But that would be a long way to slide without anything to hold on to. Jensen looks at the edge of Jared's shoulder blade and tries to imagine hanging on to it while Jared swoops through the air. Just the thought of it has him staggering and almost falling down.

_Are you all right, my heart?_ Jared is craning his neck around, but Jensen can't see his eyes from where he's standing. Apparently dragons can't tuck their heads onto their backs like birds can.

"Fine," Jensen replies. "Only—I think I will need something to hold onto. But I don't…" He trails off, frowning.

_What is wrong?_

Jensen thinks for a moment and finally sighs. "I do not wish to cause offense. I did not even ask if you minded carrying a human on your back, and I apologize for that."

_I am not a means of conveyance, it is true, but I would gladly carry you anywhere, my Jensen._ Even within his head, Jensen could hear Jared's tone turn mischievous. _I am always happy to have you ride me._

Jensen can feel his cheeks heat at that. They have only visited the hidden spring two other times, but Jensen will never forget what it felt like to sink down on top of Jared there and to take him inside of himself. 

He shakes his head. "That is not all, Jared. I wonder—is there a way we could make some kind of harness for me to hold on to up here?"

There's a pause. Then Jared rumbles, _You wish to put a_ saddle _on me?_

"No, I am sorry, that is not—" Jensen falls to his knees, putting a hand to Jared's back. The scales are smooth and hard beneath his palm, nothing that he could get a grip on. "Not a saddle, just—"

_I understand._ Jared falls quiet. 

Jensen can't hear his thoughts exactly, but he can tell that Jared is thinking, so he stays silent himself. As Jared breathes, the ground shifts under Jensen. He imagines it is what being in a ship on the sea must feel like. 

Finally, there's the low rumble of Jared's speech. _I can see what you are asking, Jensen. It is one of the reasons I was not certain this would be a good idea._

Jensen's heart sinks. "It's all right, Jared. We can practice until you can carry me greater distances in your hands."

_I am not saying no._ Jared's neck is twisting around like he's trying to look Jensen in the eye, but again, he cannot manage it. _Only that I need to think it over._

"All right." Jensen peers over Jared's shoulder blade at the very long slope of his arm and the ground quite far below. "I suppose I should get down, then."

_It would not be safe for me to transform with you atop me,_ Jared agrees.

Carefully, Jensen climbs over Jared's shoulder blade and then looks down Jared's arm. It's wide enough that he has plenty of room to walk. But he can see the ground far below, and Jared's arm is very long, and he worries about his footsteps being annoying to Jared, and—

_Hold still._

Jensen stops in his tracks. "What's wrong?"

He's finally within visual range of one of Jared's huge, blue-green eyes. _Let me carry you._

At first, Jensen isn't sure what he means, but then he sees Jared slowly moving his other arm towards him. "All right," he says, sternly telling himself not to be nervous as those sharp-looking claws come closer and closer.

They close so delicately around him that Jensen has to smile. He wraps his arms around one and holds on as Jared carefully lifts him off of his shoulder and onto the ground.

As soon as Jared lets him go, the dragon backs away. Jensen knows what's coming, so he moves back a few steps himself, to where they had stashed Jared's clothes in the fork of a tree. There's a rush of wind, and then Jared is standing by the riverbank, clad in nothing at all.

Jensen used to avert his eyes after Jared's transformations, but now he walks up to him slowly, gaze traveling up and down his long, graceful body. Jared gives him a small smirk before reaching for his clothing. To Jensen's disappointment, Jared clothes himself before reaching for Jensen, though the warm embrace he pulls him into is still more than welcome.

Jensen sighs against Jared's shoulder. "I'm sorry, my heart. I wasn't thinking about what it actually meant to ride a dragon."

"I don't think I would mind if it was you." Jared presses a kiss to top of his head. "But it is still somewhat difficult for me. There are other kingdoms where dragons are not given a choice about being used to carry people and objects, and we are taught to be wary of such a thing happening to us."

Nodding slowly, Jensen says, "I can see that. It would be too much like being treated like an animal."

He feels Jared relax against him. "Exactly. Except I know that is not what you mean by it."

"Not at all. But if it's too much, I would understand."

"Let me think on it." Jared draws back enough to plant a kiss on Jensen's mouth, and Jensen happily leans up into it. 

 

A few days pass, and they don't discuss it. There's plenty to do in the fields, and Jensen doesn't want to press the matter. At any rate, they would not be journeying to Jared's home soon, not before the harvest at least. And the trips they make up to Jared's cave, or to the secret spring beyond his cave, are short enough that Jensen doesn't mind being clasped in his hands. So he leaves it be.

About a week after that first attempt, though, Jared becomes more secretive. He comes down the mountain to work with Jensen later in the day and leaves earlier, and he doesn't take Jensen with him when he goes. Jensen asks if Jared needs help with anything, and Jared only smiles mysteriously and says something about them getting married soon.

They have not yet decided on a date for their wedding, so the "soon" is a bit of a misnomer. Still, Jensen lets Jared have his privacy. He has long since realized that not everything of Jared's life will be open or even understandable to him, and he's accepted that. Being the human mate of a dragon is complicated sometimes, but so far there is no question that it has been worth it.

More time passes, and Jensen realizes it has been a month since he first attempted to fly atop Jared. (Every time he thinks about "riding" Jared, his thoughts turn in a different, not unpleasant direction, but surely a distracting one.) Finally, he asks one day after they've finished their labors, sitting beside the creek and watching the sun set over Jared's mountain. "Have you finished what you've been working on?"

"Almost." Jared hesitates for a moment and then says, "I haven't forgotten what you asked of me. And although it's not quite the same as you requested, I think it will work."

"Can you show me?"

"Patience, my heart. Only another few days." Jared leans closer to kiss him, and that turns into a longer session of kissing that means Jensen has to walk back home with only the light of the moon above him. It's good to have the walk, though, to cool the heat that has risen up in him before he eats supper with his parents. Much as they adore Jared, they might not appreciate seeing Jensen affected by him in this way. 

Finally, one afternoon when the sheep have been herded from one pasture to another and the sun is past its peak, Jared turns to Jensen with a nervous but hopeful smile. "Do you still want to try and fly with me?"

"Yes, of course!" Jensen grins at him. "Does that mean you've found a way for me to hold on?"

"Yes. Sort of. I think it will work."

Jensen's smile fades. "Sort of?"

Jared takes both of Jensen's hands in his. "I did think about what you asked me. I thought about it a great deal. And I cannot imagine having a saddle on my back. Or anything that feels like one. It isn't you, Jensen. It's nothing to do with you, I swear. The idea itself is the problem."

Swallowing hard, Jensen asks, "What, then?"

Tugging on both of his hands, Jared says, "It would be better if I showed you."

He's expecting Jared to transform, but instead he leads Jensen to his shed. It's on Jensen's family's land, as they had gladly agreed when Jared asked for a small space to build a shed to store some of his human things. It's next to a large clearing that Jared often uses for landings. 

Right now, the space is mostly filled with what looks like a giant basket. It's woven out of slender tree limbs and comes up to about the middle of Jensen's chest. It's big enough to fit the two of them if they were standing close together, but would be more comfortable for just one person. 

He frowns at it. "Is that supposed to sit on your back?"

Jared shakes his head. "I've been building a chain for it up in my cave. It will be something like a necklace, but a very short one. That way you'll be protected from the wind by my head, but you'll still be able to see out over the basket. Or if it's too cold, or you don't enjoy it as much as you expect, there's enough room to sit."

Jensen thinks that over. Then he asks, "How will you fasten it around your neck? And how—" He pauses. "I do not doubt your craftsmanship, Jared, but are you certain that it will hold?"

"I would never risk you to something I thought unsafe," Jared replies, hands on Jensen's shoulders. "Believe me."

"I know. And I trust you."

"Good." Jared clears his throat. "If I have the chain around my neck when I transform, it should be just the right size once I am in my dragon form. That seemed easier than having you climb up and down to put it on each time."

"I thought you could not wear anything when you changed shape," Jensen frowns.

"Dragons do not need clothing," Jared replies. "Besides, anything that fit me as a human would barely cover one of my claws. This, on the other hand, should work."

Jensen slowly nods. "When can we try it?"

"I have a few more days of work on the chain, but I thought maybe at the end of the week?"

"That sounds wonderful." Jensen leaned up to give him a kiss. "Thank you for working so hard on this."

"Thank you for being patient," Jared replies with another kiss.

"Of course. I do not know all of the ways of dragons, so please, never hesitate to tell me if I am making assumptions or saying things that are wrong to you."

"You are fine, my heart." Jared kisses him again, this time with a little more heat. "Mmmm, more than fine," he murmurs before deepening the kiss. 

Jensen is somewhat late for dinner that day.

 

Finally, Jared announces that he has finished. He has already taken the basket up to his cave, and for some reason he walks with Jensen up the winding path that leads from the village to the mountaintop instead of flying there. On this path, Jensen always remembers that walk up here when he met Jared for the first time, afraid of the dragon that had suddenly appeared in their valley and yet willing to sacrifice himself to it for the good of his people.

Jared grabs his hand halfway up and squeezes it as if he knows what Jensen is thinking. Truth be told, he probably _does_ know what Jensen is thinking, at least the fully-formed thoughts that he is speaking in his mind. Jared has taught him a little bit about how to shield his thoughts, assuring Jensen that he doesn't mind at all if Jensen wants to keep some things to himself. "Like the presents you will get me for the winter holidays," he had said, eyes twinkling, and Jensen had given him a teasing shove in response. But he did appreciate the offer, both for Jared's willingness to teach him and for the trust it implied. 

Eventually, they're at the end of the path, where it widens out onto the rocky ground in front of Jared's cave. Jared had long since filled in the pit where the evil dragon kept Jensen a prisoner. Jensen has been up here any number of times since—including trying out the bed Jared obtained for a small side room of his cave—so the sting of those memories is largely gone. Now, as he helps Jared haul the chain and basket out of the cave, he's looking forward to the new memories they're going to make in the air. 

"Have you practiced with this?" he asks as they set the basket on the ground.

"Only to make sure the chain is the right length," Jared replies. "It might still be too long; we'll have to see."

"Better that than choking you," Jensen replies.

At Jared's signal, he backs up behind a large rock. Jared ducks back into his cave to remove his clothing and comes out with a cheeky wave. He lifts the chain up and over his head. As it is, his head can almost fit through one of the links, but that will change soon enough.

The familiar whirlwind starts up, and Jensen ducks down to avoid the flying leaves and grit. When he straightens up again, Jared's dragon is in front of him, huge and powerful and gleaming in the sunlight.

The basket looks almost like a locket hanging at the base of Jared's neck. When Jared lowers his chin to the ground, there's enough space between it and the rest of his body for the basket to rest. Jensen comes forward and clambers into it. He looks up to see how the links of the chain fasten to the handle of the basket and then grasps the railing. He knows Jared would not let him try this out if he had not tested its strength already.

_Indeed, I filled it with rocks many times heavier than you and flew around much more roughly than I plan to do. Everything will hold._

Jensen nods. "Then let's go."

_If you don't like the heights, or if you are too cold, or—_

"You will be able to sense any of that, Jared." Jensen envisions giving human Jared a pat on the shoulder.

There's a rumble around him, Jared either agreeing or mumbling something else. The words Jensen hears, though, are, _Then off we go._

Jared takes only a few steps in preparation before gently lifting off. The power of his wings must be phenomenal to lift such a large body so lightly off the ground. It helps that they're near the top of the mountain, so Jared can soar out into the sky without having to lift himself much at all. 

At first, Jensen clutches tightly to the edge of the basket. He's looking out at Jared's long neck as much as he is at the sky, reassuring himself that Jared is close by and that he is safe. Eventually, though, he gains the courage to look farther out, and then his breath catches. "Wow," he breathes out. 

_Beautiful, isn't it?_ They're over Jensen's valley, and he can see his village in the distance. The stream winds below them, sparkling silver in the sunlight, and the grass is a much deeper green from here than it seems from up close. His sheep are tiny dots of white in the middle of it, seemingly unconcerned as Jared's shadow swoops overhead. Jensen peers over the edge of the basket, delighting in how much more he can see than within the cage of Jared's fingers.

The mountains reach only barely higher than them, and Jensen can see details that aren't clear from below: rocky outcroppings that drop away to the valley floor, splashes of light green aspen among the pines, and silver twists of waterfalls. Jared banks closer to one of these at Jensen's request, and even at the distance of Jared's wingspan, he can feel the light spray. 

_Are you warm enough?_ Jared asks.

"Yes," Jensen replies. "I think being so close to you helps keep me warm."

_That is good to know. We will need to fly higher if we are to journey the long distance to my lands. It will be colder up there._

"I look forward to it," Jensen says, and grins to himself at the beam of happiness he can feel from Jared in response. 

The basket sways a little with Jared's motions, but not so much that Jensen minds it. It's actually kind of fun, swinging back and forth in a way that no human would normally be able to do. He's lucky that the height barely bothers him; besides, being inside this basket feels almost as safe and secure as being in Jared's hands. 

All too soon, Jared is swooping back to his mountaintop, using his wings to land more lightly than a creature his size should be able to. Jensen climbs out of the basket and to a safe distance away while Jared transforms.

This time, Jared doesn't wait to put his clothing back on. He ducks out from under the heavy chain as soon as he's human-sized again, and comes towards Jensen with a huge grin on his face. "You enjoyed that, yes?"

"So much." Jensen embraces him as soon as he is close enough, enjoying the warm skin of his back. "Thank you for building that for me, Jared. It's—I cannot even find the words."

"You said once that you wanted to know all of me, my dragon as well as my human side." Jared shrugs lightly. "So you have to be able to fly with me."

"I think right now I might want to do another kind of flying," Jensen says slyly, looking up at Jared from under his lashes.

Without a word, Jared takes him by the hand and pulls him into his cave. 

Jensen chuckles at his eagerness, but he's thrumming with a strange kind of energy himself, excited by being in the sky and experiencing some small part of what Jared feels when he flies. That energy carries him into Jared's bed—soon to be _their_ bed—and soon they're touching and tasting and feeling each other's sensations until it's difficult to tell where one of them ends and the other one begins. 

He doesn't make it home for dinner that night, falling asleep beside Jared before the sun even sets. Both the flight and the celebration after were more tiring than he would have thought, and Jared's warm body is so nice to curl up against. The last thing Jensen thinks of before going to sleep is the feeling of the wind rushing past and the pure joy of flying through the air.

He can't wait to experience that with Jared again.


End file.
